Set in May, 1945, only a few days after the end of the war, this film tells the story of a group of German prisoners of war who were brought to Denmark and forced to disarm the two million land mines that had been scattered along the West Coast by the German occupying forces. In charge of the enfeebled young men performing the dangerous task is Sergeant Carl Leopold Rasmussen who, like so many of his fellow Danes, has a deep hatred for the Germans after having suffered five years of hardships during the occupation. He lets his rage rain down on the prisoners, until one day a tragic incident makes him change his view of the enemy— even if it may be too late.

Inspired by real events, Land of Mine exposes the untold story of a moment in Denmark’s history. Directed by Martin Zandvliet (Denmark, 2015).

About the Director

Martin Zandvliet is a self-taught director and writer, who previously worked as an editor on various documentaries. Zandvliet’s first film as a director, Angels of Brooklyn (2002) won a Danish Robert for Best Long Documentary and was chosen for various festivals. Zandvliet made his feature film debut with Applause (2009), about an actress in distress trying to restore control over her life. A Funny Man (2011), a biopic about a famous Danish comedian, became the number one Danish box-office hit of the year. Land of Mine, Zandvliet’s third feature film, received a nomination in the Foreign Language Film category for the 2017 Academy Awards.

About the Series

See some top picks of recent Scandinavian award-winning cinema in “Hits From the North: Recent Award-Winning Nordic Films.” Each film will be screened twice—Wednesday at 7 PM and Friday at 6:30 PM. Tickets for individual films are $12 ($7 ASF Members) or you can purchase a Series Pass for all five films for $45 ($30 ASF Members).